on turning 26

As of tomorrow, I will officially be 26 years old. Now I try not to dwell on age.. As we all know it’s just a number, and age doesn’t define who you are, how you feel, etc. However, I always like to reflect on my past year when my birthday comes up, mostly to remember the things that I have accomplished or the monumental moments that have gone by. Turning 25 was honestly a little frightening to me at first, because 25 sounds like such an important and definitive age. 25, one quarter of a century. When I was much younger, I almost dreaded the thought of being 25. I couldn’t even picture myself at that age, yet here I am, and I’ve been 25 for an entire year. Honestly, it’s been fantastic, and one of my favorite years thus far. I always used to think that my teenage years were going to forever be the best time of my life, but as I grow older I realize that my 20′s, especially my “late 20′s” (the completely pointless category that I am now a part of) will be the new ‘best years of my life’. And even though the dreaded 30 is only 4 short years away, I know that my 30′s will be some of the best years as well, and so forth. But let’s not rush into that just yet ;). I guess my point is, no matter what age you are, the number is just that: a number. A label. It’s completely meaningless in the grand scheme of life, just essentially how many times we’ve rotated around the sun. With that, I am excited to turn 26, to enter another year of being alive, and to continue to grow as a person. While 25, I was fortunate enough to have a ton of amazing adventures. David and I spent an entire month in Bali, Indonesia; I traveled to Ireland and England with my mother and sister; I became closer with people that I am thankful to call some of my best friends; I met many beautiful individuals from all over the world; I tried new things; I grew as a creative, as a person, and really I learned a lot about myself. As much as I try not to care about age and labels, I will miss getting to say “I’m 25″ when someone asks how old I am.. but that was fun while it lasted. I am very much looking forward to all of the new adventures this year of life is going to bring to me. Here’s to being 26.